Hyderabad is ranked number four globally and topped among all Indian cities for sending students for higher education to the US.

According to a recent study by the Brookings Institution, an American think tank, since 2008-2012, Hyderabad sent more students to the US than New Delhi and Mumbai combined.

Brookings' list of the top cities around the world for sending students to US colleges and universities ranks Hyderabad number one in India and number four in the world.

Ninety-four (94) foreign cities together accounted for more than half of all students on an F-1 visa between 2008 and 2012.

Seoul, Beijing, Shanghai, Hyderabad and Riyadh are the five foreign cities that sent the most higher education students to the US during that time.

Hyderabad sent 26,220 students to the US. Next was Mumbai, with 17,294, followed by Chennai with 9,141; Bangalore with 8,835 and Delhi with 8,728.

Hyderabad's home state, at the time, Andhra Pradesh held some other surprises. Three other cities from the region that made it to the Brookings list are Secunderabad, Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam.

However, the report also said that, some of the educational institutions that accepted Hyderabad's students were little-known and often from unaccredited schools, some of which have since been shut down by US authorities for allegedly engaging in visa fraud.

While students from Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore tended to go to well-known universities, including Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Southern California, the students of Hyderabad were more likely to end up at smaller schools.

"Some of these schools have been closed down because they were abusing the (student) visa system and the Curricular Practical Training program to bring students to work for employers, rather than primarily to study for a degree programme," the report said.